1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to valves, and, in particular, to valves used in flushing procedures for catheters or tubes.
2. Relevant Technology
In the medical field, tubes and catheters are used in a wide variety of applications including drainage procedures or applications. In these type of applications, the tubes or catheters are of the type which carry various bodily fluids, including but not limited to, abscess fluids, urinary fluids, or biliary fluids. One purpose of these tubes or catheters is to decompress, relieve, or drain a specific collection of fluid. The expressed fluid is amassed into a collection bag for evaluation or evacuation.
It is important that the interior passageway or lumen in these devices remain unobstructed from such things as particulates and/or residues which may collect or build-up on the surface of the lumen in the catheter or tube. The buildup of particulates and/or residues on the interior surface of the lumen in the tube or catheter may lead to uneven, reduced, or obstructed flow. Obstructed, limited, or even uneven fluid flow may extend the recovery time of a patient, resulting in the potential for further complications or infections. For example, an infection may cause complications in the patient's treatment leading to sickness or even death. These problems are particularly accentuated with those catheters or tubes which are kept in place for longer periods of time.
As a result, the tubes or catheters must be periodically flushed to ensure that there is not a build-up of particulates or residue in the lumen that will block or impede the flow of fluid out of the patient. Flushing these medical devices usually involves attaching a source of cleansing fluid, such as a saline solution, and directing the cleansing fluid under low pressure through the tube or catheter to remove any buildup occurring in the lumen. The fluid is then allowed to flow out the tube or catheter into the drainage bag.
When it is time to flush the tube or catheter, the drainage bag must be disconnected and the source of cleansing fluid, usually a syringe, is attached to the tube or catheter that is fluidly connected to the patient. Once the cleansing fluid has been directed into the tube or catheter, the syringe or other source of cleansing fluid, must be disconnected and the drainage bag is reattached. This procedure is particularly unsatisfactory because of the time required to unscrew the drainage bag, attach the syringe, and then to unscrew the syringe and reattach the drainage bag. In addition, after the cleansing fluid has been directed into the tube or catheter that is attached to the patient, there is particularly a risk of fluid leaking during the unattaching and reattaching process which can cause an unsanitary condition and potentially expose medical personnel and the patient to contamination. Further, if any fluid is accidentally discharged during this process, the medical personnel must take the time to sanitize the patient, the bedding, and themselves.
Another device, commonly referred to as a stopcock, can be used to make the flushing procedure somewhat easier for medical personnel and to reduce the risk of contamination and spillage. The stopcock is attached to the tube or catheter that is fluidly connected to the patient and connects the tube or catheter to the drainage bag. Typically the stopcock has a valve that must be manually moved by the medical personnel who is going to perform the flushing procedure to direct the flow of fluid either into a drainage bag or to an outside port for periodic catheter maintenance or flushing. This allows the fluid source, such as a syringe, to be attached to the outside port when it is time to flush the tube or catheter. One the syringe is attached, the stopcock is manually moved to stop the fluid flowing to the drainage bag. This allows the cleansing fluid to be directed into the tube or catheter. Once all the cleaning fluid is in the tube or catheter, the stopcock is manually moved back to its original position allowing fluid to flow into the drainage bag.
While the stopcock is an improvement over the manual flushing procedure, there have been various problems with the stopcock. Stopcocks have failed from usage or have had certain limitations to their use. One of the problems with using a stopcock is that the nurse or attendant must manually adjust the stopcock to cease the flow of fluid in the drainage catheter and open the access port to enable the flushing fluid to be directed into the lumen of the tube or catheter. Once the cleansing fluid has been directed into the tube or the catheter, the stopcock must again be manually adjusted to redirect the fluid flow into the drainage bag. These extra steps are time consuming and cumbersome, often wasting the attendant's and/or nurse's time which is valuable and often in short supply. There is also a possibility that the manual adjustments that are required may confuse the medical personnel which then has the potential to misdirect the fluid flow out of the patient. In addition, if for some reason the medical personnel fails to return the stopcock to the original position which allows the fluid to flow to the drainage bag, fluid will flow out the access port and contaminate the patient and generally create a mess. This could result in loss of fluids that are needed to monitor the health of the patient as well as creating an unsanitary condition. A further problem with existing stopcocks is that the diameter of the passageway formed through the stopcock is typically smaller the diameter of the lumen in the tube or catheter that the stopcock is attached to. As a result, the passageway of the stopcock impedes the fluid flow by creating a bottlenecking-effect as the fluid tries to flow through the stopcock.